Scrum Master

Job Description: 

We are looking for a highly skilled Scrum Master, you will use an Agile mindset and the Scrum framework to guide agile teams through the development process, consistently delivering value to our customers. You will serve as a facilitator, coach, and mentor, helping the team become self-organizing and empowered to make effective decisions.

Basic Requirements:

• Ability to obtain a U.S. Federal Position of Trust clearance designation. 
• Must reside in and be able to perform work in the United States. 
• Must have lived in the United States for 3 of the last 5 years. 
• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, data science, statistics, analytics, or related quantitative and software development field.
• Experience applying scrum and growing agile teams as a full-time Scrum Master. 
• Certified Scrum Master (CSM) or similar agile project management certification. 
• Experience using agile project management tools, preferably JIRA and Confluence.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Excellent time management.
• Ability to quickly sense when an issue needs to be discussed or triaged. 
• SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) experience and certification.
• Experience affecting change in organizations working towards Agile adoption. 
• Experience in any part of the software development lifecycle - as a developer, tester, analyst, product manager, project/program manager, etc. 
• Experience applying test automation, test-driven development, continuous integration, and continuous deployment to achieve built-in quality. 
• Relevant understanding of CMMI Level 3 Concepts. 

Responsibilities:

• Guide, coach, and mentor the team to increase productivity and agility- within the team and the broader environment. Help the team learn how to communicate their needs.
• Be the example you want to see in your teams, lead with professionalism, and be organized and objective. Be respectful of people's time. 
• Facilitate SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) ceremonies (PI Planning, ART Sync, etc.) and educate the team on their benefits. Empower teams to take ownership of the ceremonies and outcomes, adjusting their work streams as improvement opportunities are identified.
• Facilitate team exercises like Value Stream Mapping to make work, workflows, etc. visible for the team to help identify bottlenecks and opportunities to optimize.
• Monitor and apply meaningful metrics that help the team to understand the effort, workflow, and bottlenecks. 
• Leverage visualization (dashboards, Kanban, or other visual indicators available) to help the team see daily progress. 
• Support the Product Owner in maintaining a healthy, robust backlog and implementing effective sprint planning. 
• Represent the team to the program. Work with the RTE to define and implement actions.
• Serve as a backup to Product Owner as needed (i.e., participate in PO Sync at ART level).
• Travel to the Baltimore/DC metro region will be required twice per year (for PI Planning).
• Team Support:
  • Foster team collaboration and communication. 
  • Ensure that goals, scope, and product domain are understood by everyone on the team. 
  • Work with the team to adapt to changes that yield better results. 
  • Encourage an experimental and fail-fast mindset.
  • Remove impediments to the team’s ability to perform by working closely with the team and stakeholders. This may include Product Owners, leadership, other teams, and the support organization.
  • Facilitate the creation and maintenance of team working agreements, definition of ready, and definition of done, updating as needed at regular intervals.
  • Manage a transparent Coach’s notebook (visible to the team) on ongoing performance and opportunities for improvements. Coach individually or as a group as needed.
  • Facilitate cross-team coordination, tracking, and following up with external dependencies.
  • Serve as a buffer between external distractions and the team, improving team focus. 
• Leadership and Guidance:
  • Build high-performing teams by collectively navigating interpersonal conflicts, challenges, and growth opportunities. Build trust among team members. 
  • Encourage brain-storming and creative thinking. Encourage the team to be confident, courageous, and think outside the box. 
  • Coach the team on agile principles with a goal of continuous improvement. 
  • Able to observe team dynamics, recognize the strengths and weaknesses of individual team member contributions, and coach them to improve. 
  • Create a fun sharing and learning environment, experimenting with various ideas to improve delivery, including pair-programming and cross-functional training. 
  • Thrive in a fast-paced environment, across diverse systems and groups. 
  • Be a business-driven person who stays ahead of the team’s needs. Proactively seek to identify risks or dependencies. 
  • Follow up on impediments and keep timelines visible and on the team’s mind. 
  • Strong communications skills- inspire the team to steward high-quality products, following agreed-upon best practices and processes. 
• Support Agile Practice:

• • Participate in Lean Agile Center of Excellence.
  • Continue Agile education and share new knowledge with other Agilists.
  • Be bold, be brave, and help Agile adoption in all aspects.
  • Engage in corporate educational initiatives (brown bag, yearn-to-learn, etc.)

Public Trust Clearance: This role will require the hired candidate to go through public trust clearance. A minimum of 3 years of stay in the U.S. within the last 5 years is required to be eligible to qualify for public trust clearance sponsorship. 

Work Location: Headquartered in Arlington, VA, we also have a primary office in Baltimore, MD for those who prefer to work on-site. However, with employees spread across 40+ states, we have many remote roles.